


Adventures at Hot Topical

by mouthydark



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Episode: s10e20 Angel Heart, Flirting, Grumpy Cat - Freeform, M/M, Self-Discovery, Shopping, Shopping Malls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-03-26 18:51:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3860761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mouthydark/pseuds/mouthydark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Cas go shopping for a birthday present for Claire, and maybe find a little bit of comfort in each other in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Adventures at Hot Topical

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written a fanfic before. Popping my cherry with this one...I hope it's good.

The Impala’s engine roared to life. They had just questioned Ronnie, the lowlife who had landed Claire in the hospital in the first place, and Dean was amped up, pretty content with how his little interrogation had gone. He hummed a little AC/DC to himself, nodding his head with the beat. Thumping that motherfucker’s head down on the table had practically been the highlight of his week.

Cas sat in the passenger seat looking anxious, his brow furrowing and his lips tight. “What is it?” Dean questioned, but he knew Cas was upset about how things had gone with Claire at the hospital. Her dipping out like that had really upset the angel, Dean could tell. “Cas, don’t worry, Sam’ll catch up to her at the motel. She ain’t goin’ anywhere.” 

Cas sighed softly. “It isn’t that, Dean. Well. It is. But it is also Claire’s birthday. I was just wondering how long it has been since one of her birthdays was actually happy. I am to blame for that, Dean. Her father left her because of me. Her mother left her because of me…” He trailed off, biting his lower lip worriedly. 

“Cas, you just can’t think like that, man,” Dean replied, as if he didn’t always do the exact same thing, blaming himself for everything that went bad for the people in his life. A lightbulb went off, and he smacked the steering wheel with his hand, startling Cas. “Dude. I just had a hell of an idea,” Dean said with a grin, and he pulled away from the bar with a clear destination in mind. 

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into a huge parking lot. A very large building loomed before them. “Dean, what is this place?” Cas asked. 

Dean slapped him lightly on the shoulder. “It’s the mall, buddy. We’re gonna make sure Claire gets a present for her eighteenth birthday.” Dean winked at him, looking very pleased with himself for coming up with this idea.

“I’m not sure about this. Claire quite obviously wants nothing to do with me.” This mall was a huge place. The angel seemed a bit intimidated by the idea of going in. His blue eyes wandered from one end of the building to other as if wondering how one could possibly have the time to search the whole place for the perfect gift.

Dean took notice. “Relax. I’ll come in with you. We can hit up the food court,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down, a huge goofy smile plastered on his face. Dean was always down to get some food. Right at this moment, he wanted one of those big pretzels covered in salt. “Besides, there are a bunch of different stores in there. We don’t have to go in all of ‘em.”

Cas wasn’t convinced, but he got out of the car anyway, if only because Dean seemed so happy about the whole thing, and Cas didn’t feel like ruining his good mood. Perhaps the “food court” would be fun, even though Cas didn’t need to eat. 

They entered the double doors that led into the place, and Cas was instantly overwhelmed. There were people everywhere, all kinds of people. Young and old, all carrying bags upon bags. He grabbed onto Dean’s shoulder and said, “You lead the way to this ‘food court,’ but after that I hope you have a plan for where to go next. I am very…uncomfortable.”

Dean chuckled quietly, and started walking.

———–

They’d been to the food court, and then they took the escalator to the second floor, Dean with a huge pretzel in hand. Cas had opted out of food, since everything just tasted like molecules to him anyway. 

Some of Dean’s hunter skills seemed to kick in. “Let’s just observe for a minute, Cas. We’ll see what store the kids seem to like, then we’ll go check it out,” he said with his eyes squinted and a huge bite of pretzel in his mouth. 

Cas leaned against the railing next to the escalator and, as Dean liked to say, “kept his eyes peeled.” After a few minutes, he noticed a bunch of kids around Claire’s age were gravitating to a store with loud music blaring and a dark atmosphere. “Let’s go to that one,” Cas said, pointing.

“You got it, man. That one looks like it’s just dripping with all that teenage angst crap,” Dean responded as he wolfed down the last of his food. With determination, they started walking towards the Hot Topic.

“It’s very loud in here,” Cas said quietly at the entrance with his hand back on Dean’s shoulder, as he tended to do when he was confused. “And there’s so much to choose from. I don’t even know what Claire likes, and…” He was cut off as a salesgirl with pink and black hair, thick black eyeliner, and an eyebrow ring sauntered over.

“Can I help you….gentlemen with something?” she asked, looking a little amused to see two older men in the store. She regarded Cas’s trench coat and Dean’s model good looks with uncertainty.

Cas was at a loss for words. Dean noticed and went into what he liked to call “bullshitter-mode.” 

“Yes, hi. It’s just…our daughter is on break from school, you know, she’s working so hard, and we just wanted to get her a little something to show her how proud of her we are,” he said smiling broadly, and then he slipped his arm around Cas’s waist. 

Cas’s eyes widened to what he felt was an impossible size, and then, recovering from the shock of Dean calling Claire THEIR daughter and actually putting his arm around him, leaned into Dean’s side, and said, “Yes, our daughter, Claire. She’s eighteen. Can you…recommend a good gift?” Cas couldn’t understand it, but being this close to Dean…it made him very happy.

The girl brightened considerably, and with a wide smile, she exclaimed, “Oh my god, aren’t you guys just the cutest dads ever! Yeah, I can help you!” 

Dean gave Cas a little shrug and raised his eyebrows, then they followed the girl to a shelf of stuffed animals towards the back of the store. There were My Little Ponies, emo bears, and a plush blue police box that Cas didn’t quite understand. “Stuffed animals are great for college girls, guys. They can take them to their dorm, and have something to remind them of home, ya know?” The salesgirl seemed really happy to be helping them now that she thought they were a couple of cute gay dads.

Cas and Dean scanned the shelf. Dean picked up a weird little stuffed robot, and held it up to Cas. “How about this, hon?” Cas knew that Dean liked robots, well, robot movies anyway, but he didn’t think it was quite right. That’s when he saw it. 

“No, dear,” he said feeling a little silly at referring to Dean with such an intimate term, but rolling with it, as the hunters had taught him to do over the years. “But I think this would be just perfect,” he said as he picked up the little gray cat with the dour expression on his face. 

“Ohhhh, Grumpy Cat!” the salesgirl gushed. “Everybody loves Grumpy Cat! Good choice!”

Dean looked at the little cat in Cas’s hands and his lips curved in a tiny smile. The cat kind of reminded Dean of Cas, with its blue eyes and bunched up forehead. It was actually a pretty perfect choice. “Yep, I think she will love that. Hell, I kinda love the damn thing.” Dean squeezed Cas’s shoulder.

Startled, he realized he was enjoying playing the happy couple with his angel friend just a little too much. He blushed and dropped his hand, and then cleared his throat. “Gimme a sec, ok? I’m gonna go grab one of those Zepplin t-shirts over there.” 

Walking briskly towards the shirts, he shook his head with a bewildered look on his face. What the hell was that? He had started the little charade back at the front of the store as sort of a joke. He hadn’t expected to like it. He found a shirt in his size, but lingered a little bit to clear his head. 

Dean looked over his shoulder and saw Cas waiting patiently for him by the stuffed animals with the cat in his hands. Running a hand over his face he turned around, put a smile back on his face, and then he and Cas followed the girl to the register and checked out.

———–

Back in the Impala, Cas looked at Dean with his head tilted slightly. “Dean…” Cas hesitated for a moment. “Thank you. For bringing me to 'Hot Topical’ and helping me buy a gift for Claire.”

Dean snorted at the angel’s slip of the tongue and said, “No problem, buddy. You know you’re family, and I never mind helping out.” He started the car, but as he was backing out, he quickly brushed his fingers lightly over Cas’s knuckles. He heard Cas’s sharp intake of breath, then Cas took his hand and squeezed it briefly, smiling. Sure, Dean was pretty fucking confused by what he was feeling at the moment, but damn it, for the first time in a long time, he felt happy. Really happy…


End file.
